Sam’s Club proposal topic on Monday

October 3, 2013

Cape Coral City Council will have a number of issues to consider during its regular city council meeting Monday at city hall.

At the forefront, will be the introduction of an ordinance that will approve a planned development project for a Sam's Club on Pine Island Road and Hancock Bridge Parkway.

Among the items to be discussed are the traffic impact study, which will say that both roads can handle the anticipated increase in traffic associated with a Sam's Club.

The ordinance will seek a rezoning of a portion of a property from Village to Corridor, a special exception to allow self-service fuel pumps, and a subdivision of the parcel.

The public hearing is set for Oct. 21.

For Councilmember Kevin McGrail, it could be the start of something big in Cape Coral.

"We're looking at 200 to 300 fulltime jobs. The long-range plan for that location is to have something like what they have near Page Field where you have HH Gregg and other big box stores," McGrail said. "It will be a great economic driver and it will give those people crossing the river the items they can't get at BJ's."

Ground is expected to be broken in the spring, with it opening in time for the Christmas holidays in late 2014, McGrail said.

The other introduction will be a request for council to either confirm or deny a decision by the Board of Zoning Adjustment and Appeals that denied a special exception to allow a self-service fuel pump in the South Cape Downtown zone on property located on 1531 S.E 46th Lane.

There will also be a quasi-judicial hearing on a resolution to affirm or reverse a decision made by DCD Director Paul Dickson to deny a request to allow a former model home to be utilized as a single-family home for property located in the Marketplace-Residential district.

Also on the agenda is a request for a performance evaluation on City Manager John Szerlag concerning his first 16 months in office.

Szerlag has presented council with a booklet on his metrics and what he is to be graded on. Those results should be discussed on Monday.

With the UEP and financial diversification, opinions may vary.

McGrail said the evidence is clear that he has done the job, even if they decisions he has made have come in an election year.

"There's no secret that I think he's doing a good job. In two years we would have burned through our reserves," McGrail said. "The city is in solid financial shape and the fact we are providing money for our infrastructure makes us that more stable."

Also, there will be an update on the Zucker Report recommendations from Dickson, where he will discuss the top 65 that will have the greatest impact on the departments' and divisions' best practices and that can be implemented immediately.

Many of the items, Dickson said, will require funding from the general fund.